Hitler deputy's bones cremated

German grave attracted neo-Nazis

by David Rising - Jul. 22, 2011 12:00 AMAssociated Press

BERLIN - The bones of Adolf Hitler's deputy Rudolf Hess were exhumed under cover of darkness, burned and secretly scattered at sea after his grave became a shrine for thousands of neo-Nazis, a cemetery official said Thursday.

Workers removed Hess' remains from his family's plot with the permission of his relatives, cremated the bones and dispersed them before dawn Wednesday, said Andreas Fabel, a cemetery administrator in the Bavarian town of Wunsiedel.

Hess was captured in 1941 when he parachuted into Scotland saying he wanted to negotiate peace between Britain and Germany.

The attempt was denounced by Hitler, and Hess later told British authorities that the Nazi leader knew nothing of it. Hess, who spent the rest of his life as a prisoner of the World War II allies, became a martyr for the far-right. Neo-Nazis have used the anniversary of his death as an occasion to hold large rallies, with Wunsiedel often a focal point.

Most such rallies have been banned since stricter laws were implemented in 2005, but the grave continued to attract far-right extremists to the town.

With the lease on the burial plot coming up for renewal in October, Hess' relatives and Lutheran church authorities in the town decided it was best to remove the remains, Fabel said.

"Both sides were in favor of it," he said.

Charlotte Knobloch, a German Jewish community leader, said the move sends a "clear message."

"I'm happy that the Nazi shadow over Wunsiedel has finally come to an end," she said.

Hess was an early confidant of Hitler's, and, while Hitler was imprisoned in the 1920s, the Nazi leader dictated much of his infamous manifesto "Mein Kampf," or "My Struggle," to him.

Hess eventually rose to the position of deputy Nazi party leader, but by 1941 his influence with Hitler was waning. His flight to Scotland is widely seen by historians as an attempt to restore his importance.

Hess died on Aug. 17, 1987, at age 93. Authorities said he hanged himself with an electrical cord.